MEMORIAL RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF FEBRUARY 1, 2018
Title
MEMORIAL RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners honoring the memory of Francis “Frank” Emmet Crowley
Body
WHEREAS, Francis “Frank” Emmet Crowley, a Celtic historian, artist, teacher, kite maker, civil rights and labor activist, prolific joke teller and expert gardener passed away January 4, 2018; and
WHEREAS, Frank was born August 2, 1941, the son of Thomas and Mary (née Quinn) Crowley; and
WHEREAS, a lifelong Chicagoan, who was part of the city's cultural, political, and civic fabric; and
WHEREAS, Frank worked with Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference to organize Chicago workers and marched on Selma in 1965; and
WHEREAS, Frank’s family often joked that he knew someone wherever he went; and
WHEREAS, his love of arts drove Frank’s work to expose his fellow citizens to culture; and
WHEREAS, Frank was the Director of the Art Gallery located on the second floor Arts Wing of the Irish American Heritage Center and hosted as many as 10 exhibits per year with artists from all over the world exhibiting their paintings, photography and sculpture in shows that featured Irish themes; and
WHEREAS, he taught numerous art classes to adults and children at galleries and organizations throughout Chicago, including Celtic Art classes at the Irish American Heritage Center; and
WHEREAS, in his apartment window overlooking the Bloomingdale Trail, Frank founded the Stop and Look Gallery; and
WHEREAS, a co-founder of Windy City Arts, Frank worked to support and give artists exhibition venues at such places as the Chicago Cultural Center and O'Hare Airport; and
WHEREAS, Frank's beautiful Celtic kites were featured in multiple exhibitions in Chicago, as well as galleries across Japan; and
WHEREAS, a recognized expert on the Book of Kells, Frank led seminars at the Irish American Heritage Center and the Newberry Library in Chicago, in cities throughout the country and at Tama University in Japan; and
WHEREAS, as a docent with the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Frank got to marvel at Chicago’s cityscape while teaching others about art, design, and architecture; and
WHEREAS, Frank did all of this with a twinkle in his Irish eyes; and
WHEREAS, Frank leaves to honor his memory his beloved partner Pauline Kochanski; ex-wife and friend Rosemary (née Carpenter) Crowley; his beloved children Jeanne (George) Atkinson, Colin and Tim (Katia Bennett); and his grandchildren Will Bernstein, Kate and Harry Atkinson; and Liam, Declan, and Maeve Crowley; and
WHEREAS, Frank was preceded in death by his parents and his son the late Chris (Bunthay) Crowley; and
WHEREAS, a Celebration of Life service for Frank will be held on Friday, February 9, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at the Irish American Heritage Center; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, on behalf of ourselves and staff, do extend our deepest condolences to the family of Francis “Frank” Emmet Crowley; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the permanent Record of Proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and that a copy of same, suitably engrossed be presented to the family of Frank Crowley.
Dated: February 1, 2018
Approved: MARIYANA T. SPYROPOULOS, President; BARBARA J. MCGOWAN, Vice President; FRANK AVILA, Chairman, Committee on Finance; MARTIN J. DURKAN; JOSINA MORITA; DEBRA SHORE; KARI K. STEELE; DAVID J. WALSH; Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Approved as to Form and Legality: Susan T. Morakalis, General Counsel, STM:aw